The Sports & Outdoors category has 1,991 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 11,712 ratings. The most-rated is Burke's Law.
Beyond Possible
Summary
An SBS Gurkha soldier's account of how his tough Nepali upbringing and the lessons learned in his army life enabled his record-breaking conquest of all 14 of the world's 8,000m peaks in under seven months. What happens when ambition meets limitless imagination? Enter Project Possible: a seemingly unreachable goal to climb all 14 'death zone' mountains in record time. The previous record was seven years, 10 months and six days. I did it in six months. This is the inside story of my incredible adventure. As a kid in Nepal, barefoot in the mountains, I developed the resilience I needed to later join the Gurkhas, one of the most fearless forces in the British Army. Then in the Special Boat Service I served in some of the world's most dangerous warzones. But my next challenge was even more of a test. In Beyond Possible I reveal how I conquered the world's most dangerous peaks, breaking several world records in the process. With my elite training, I was able to adapt quickly to the lethal conditions, rarely phased by the lung-burning temperatures or brutal winds. Fear became irrelevant because I had belief. In the death zone, I came alive. But even after facing countless challenges, right at the peak of my achievements, my world fell apart when my mother was hospitalised. But I survived and ultimately conquered the most deadly and hostile mountains on the planet. Beyond Possible is my story.
©2020 Nimsdai Purja (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Call of the American Wild
Summary
A man, an axe, and a dog named Fuzzy.... Let the adventure begin! Trapped in a job he hated and up to his neck in debt, Guy Grieve’s life was going nowhere. But with a stroke of luck, his dream of escaping it all to live in remote Alaska suddenly came true. Miles from the nearest human being and armed with only the most basic equipment, Guy built a log cabin from scratch and began carving a life for himself through fishing, hunting, and diligently avoiding bears. Packed with adventure, humor, and insight, this is the gripping story of an ordinary man learning the ways of the wild.
©2012 Guy Grieve (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Unstoppable
Summary
This program is read by the author. From Maria Sharapova, one of our fiercest female athletes, the captivating - and candid - story of her rise from nowhere to tennis stardom, and the unending fight to stay on top. In 2004, in a stunning upset against the two-time defending champion Serena Williams, 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon, becoming an overnight sensation. Out of virtual anonymity, she launched herself onto the international stage. "Maria Mania" was born. Sharapova became a name and face recognizable worldwide. Her success would last: she went on to hold the number-one WTA ranking multiple times, to win four more Grand Slam tournaments, and to become one of the highest-grossing female athletes in the world. And then - at perhaps the peak of her career - Sharapova came up against the toughest challenge yet: during the 2016 Australian Open, she was charged by the ITF with taking the banned substance meldonium, only recently added to the ITF's list. The resulting suspension would keep her off the professional courts for 15 months - a frighteningly long time for any athlete. The media suggested it might be fateful. But Sharapova's career has always been driven by her determination and by her dedication to hard work. Her story doesn't begin with the 2004 Wimbledon championship, but years before, in a small Russian town, where as a five-year-old she played on drab neighborhood courts with precocious concentration. It begins when her father, convinced his daughter could be a star, risked everything to get them to Florida, that sacred land of tennis academies. It begins when the two arrived with only $700 and knowing only a few words of English. From that, Sharapova scraped together one of the most influential sports careers in history. Here, for the first time, is the whole story, and in her own words. Sharapova's is an unforgettable saga of dedication and fortune. In this new audiobook, she brings us inside her pivotal matches and illuminates the relationships that have shaped her - with coaches, best friends, boyfriends, and Yuri, her coach, manager, father, and most dedicated fan, describing with honesty and affection their oft-scrutinized relationship. She writes frankly about the suspension. As Sharapova returns to the professional circuit, one thing is clear: the ambition to win that drove her from the public courts of Russia to the manicured lawns of Wimbledon has not diminished. Sharapova's Unstoppable is a powerful audiobook memoir, resonant in its depiction of the will to win - whatever the odds.
©2017 Maria Sharapova (P)2017 Macmillan Audio
Best Seat in the House
Summary
**Revised and Edited Edition Now Available** Justin Roberts always dreamed of being a ring announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment. From playing with action figures of the Ultimate Warrior, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret Hitman Hart and Hulk Hogan to actually announcing these larger-than-life characters to the ring, Roberts lived out the dream of countless, passionate wrestling fans worldwide. Best Seat in the House is the inspirational story of Roberts' ambitious journey to becoming a full-time ring announcer at WWE, performing all over the world and announcing weekly live events, TV shows, and the enormously popular pay-per-view spectaculars for more than a decade. In addition to announcing the top wrestlers in sports entertainment from Nature Boy Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy, and the Iron Sheik to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Undertaker, Roberts also relives entertaining and candid moments with his real-life superhero coworkers, workplace politics, grueling travel schedules, harsh requirements of WWE talent, and the overall merciless treatment from the higher-ups whose decisions can affect nearly the entire wrestling industry. This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses, and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling. Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching, and living his dream.
©2017 Meyer & Meyer Sport, Ltd (P)2017 Meyer & Meyer Sport, Ltd
Alone on the Wall (Expanded Edition)
Summary
Includes two new chapters on Alex Honnold's free solo ascent of the iconic 3,000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park On June 3rd, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to free solo Yosemite's El Capitan - to scale the wall without rope, a partner, or any protective gear - completing what was described as "the greatest feat of pure rock climbing in the history of the sport" (National Geographic) and "one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever" (New York Times). Already one of the most famous adventure athletes in the world, Honnold has now been hailed as "the greatest climber of all time" (Vertical magazine). Alone on the Wall recounts the most astonishing achievements of Honnold's extraordinary life and career, brimming with lessons on living fearlessly, taking risks, and maintaining focus even in the face of extreme danger. Now Honnold tells, for the first time and in his own words, the story of his three hours and 56 minutes on the sheer face of El Cap, which Outside called "the moon landing of free soloing.... A generation-defining climb. Bad ass and beyond words.... One of the pinnacle sporting moments of all time."
©2018 Alex Honnold (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
This Book Has Balls
Summary
Michael Rapaport, actor, top 50 podcaster, award-winning film maker, and sports fanatic, is here to set the world straight on the greatest and downright worst athletes, players, teams, and jerseys - while refusing to mention statistics, analytics, or anything else that isn't pure hustle. In 1979, nine-year-old Michael Rapaport decided he was going to do whatever it took to be a pro baller. He practiced and practiced, but by the time he was 15, he realized there was no place for a slow, white Jewish kid in the NBA. So he found another way to channel his obsession with sports: talking trash. In This Book Has Balls, Rapaport uses his signature smack-talk style and in-your-face humor to discuss everything from why LeBron will never be like Mike to how Tiger needs the ladies to get his golf game back and how he once thought Mary Lou Retton was his true love. And, of course, why next year will be the year the New York Knicks win the championship. This book is a series of rants - some controversial, some affectionate, but all incredibly hilarious.
©2017 Michael Rapaport (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Wenger
Summary
In Wenger: My Life and Lessons in Red and White, world-renowned and revolutionary soccer coach Arsène Wenger finally tells his own story for the very first time. Wenger opens up about his life, sharing principles for success on and off the field with lessons on leadership, personal development, and management. This book charts his extraordinary career, including his rise from obscurity in France and Japan to his 22 years at the helm of Arsenal Football Club. Covers the years of controversy that led up to his resignation in 2018 and his current seat as chief of global football development for FIFA Wenger offers studious reflections on the game and his groundbreaking approach to motivation, mindset, fitness, and the winning edge Wenger popularized the attacking approach and belief that the game should be entertaining Among the most successful managers of all time, Wenger, affectionately nicknamed "The Professor", has won multiple championships and run one undefeated and unmatched English Premier League season This is a must-listen for Arsenal fans, soccer fans, athletes, trainers, business leaders, and anyone seeking the tools for success in work and life. It's the story of one of the most revered and successful coaches - and his tactics and vision - in the world's largest sport. Makes a great gift for diehard soccer fans around the world. Add it to the audiobook "shelf" with books like Alex Ferguson: My Biography by Alex Ferguson, Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography by David Beckham and Tom Watt, and Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Arsène Wenger (P)2020 Chronicle Prism
Total Competition
Summary
Total Competition is the most compelling, comprehensive and revealing insight into what it takes to get to the top in Formula One that has ever been published. Across four decades, Ross Brawn was one of the most innovative and successful technical directors and then team principals in Formula One. Leading Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn and Mercedes, he worked with drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to make them world champions. In 2017, he was appointed F1's managing director, motor sports, by the sport's new owners, Liberty Media. Now, in this fascinating book written with Adam Parr (who was CEO and then chairman of Williams for five years), he looks back over his career and methods to assess how he did it and where occasionally he got things wrong. Total Competition is a definitive portrait of modern motorsport. In the book, Brawn and Parr explore the unique pressures of Formula One, their battles with Bernie Ecclestone and the cut-throat world they inhabited, where coming second is never good enough. This book will appeal not only to the millions of Formula One fans who want to understand how Brawn operates; it will also provide many lessons in how to achieve your own business goals.
©2016 Ross Brawn, Adam Parr (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio UK
26 Marathons
Summary
New York Times Best Seller A world-class runner and four-time Olympian shares the life lessons he’s learned from each of the 26 marathons he’s run in his storied career. “An athlete whose wisdom and lessons aren’t just for runners.” (The Washington Post) When Meb Keflezighi - the first person in history to win both the Boston and New York City marathons as well as an Olympic marathon medal - ran his final marathon in New York City on November 5, 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distance-running career. Meb's last marathon was also his 26th, and each of those marathons has come with its own unique challenges, rewards, and outcomes. In 26 Marathons, Meb takes listeners on those legendary races, along every hill, bend, and unexpected turn of events that made each marathon an exceptional learning experience, and a fascinating story. 26 Marathons offers the wisdom Meb has gleaned about life, family, identity, and faith in addition to tips about running, training, and nutrition. He shows runners of all levels how to apply the lessons he's learned to their own running and lives. Equal parts inspiration and practical advice, 26 Marathons provides an inside look at the life and success of one of the greatest runners living today. Praise for 26 Marathons “26 Marathons is a swift read, guaranteed to be popular with student athletes plus hard-core and recreational runners, who will undoubtedly agree that Meb is an American treasure and running ambassador who never fails to inspire.” (Booklist, starred review) “26 Marathons gives great insight about the ups and downs in marathon running and how to cope with them. As Meb shows, dealing with these marathon experiences help us become better in our lives.” (Eliud Kipchoge, Marathon World Record Holder and 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist) “Meb’s 26 Marathons is like opening a treasure chest full of inspiring stories that give behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mental and physical joys and obstacles that elite-level racing can bring. His advice on training, overcoming injuries, and adversity is for everyone. It’s pure gold!” (Shalane Flanagan, 2017 TCS NYC Marathon Champion)
©2019 Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas (P)2019 Random House Audio
The Secret Race
Summary
The Secret Race is a definitive look at the world of professional cycling—and the doping issue surrounding this sport and its most iconic rider, Lance Armstrong—by former Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton and New York Times best-selling author Daniel Coyle. Over the course of two years, Coyle conducted more than 200 hours of interviews with Hamilton and spoke candidly with numerous teammates, rivals, and friends. The result is an explosive book that takes us, for the first time, deep inside a shadowy, fascinating, and surreal world of unscrupulous doctors, anything-goes team directors, and athletes so relentlessly driven to succeed that they would do anything—and take any risk, physical, mental, or moral—to gain the edge they needed to win. Tyler Hamilton was once one of the world’s best-liked and top-ranked cyclists—a fierce competitor renowned among his peers for his uncanny endurance and epic tolerance for pain. In the 2003 Tour de France, he finished fourth despite breaking his collarbone in the early stages—and grinding 11 of his teeth down to the nerves along the way. He started his career with the U.S. Postal Service team in the 1990s and quickly rose to become Lance Armstrong’s most trusted lieutenant and a member of his inner circle. For the first three of Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories, Hamilton was by Armstrong’s side, clearing his way. But just weeks after Hamilton reached his own personal pinnacle—winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics—his career came to a sudden, ignominious end: He was found guilty of doping and exiled from the sport. From the exhilaration of his early, naïve days in the peloton, Hamilton chronicles his ascent to the uppermost reaches of this unforgiving sport. In the mid-1990s, the advent of a powerful new blood-boosting drug called EPO reshaped the world of cycling, and a relentless, win-at-any-cost ethos took root. Its psychological toll would drive many of the sport’s top performers to substance abuse, depression, even suicide. For the first time ever, Hamilton recounts his own battle with clinical depression, speaks frankly about the agonizing choices that go along with the decision to compete at a world-class level, and tells the story of his complicated relationship with Lance Armstrong. A journey into the heart of a never-before-seen world, The Secret Race is a riveting, courageous act of witness from a man who is as determined to reveal the hard truth about his sport as he once was to win the Tour de France.
©2012 Tyler Hamilton & Daniel Coyle (P)2012 Random House
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
Summary
In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller’s account of this thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. Listeners are treated to rich descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a less conventional path through life. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about hiking gear and planning. This is not merely a travel guide; it is a beautifully written and highly personal view into one man’s journey and the insights gained by abandoning what is comfortable and routine.
©2011 David Miller (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Be Water, My Friend
Summary
This program is read by the author Bruce Lee’s daughter illuminates her father’s most powerful life philosophies - demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth, and how we can practice those teachings every day. "Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless like water." Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, renowned the world over for his martial arts and film legacy. But Lee was also a deeply philosophical thinker, learning at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline - they are an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life. Now, in Be Water, My Friend, Lee’s daughter Shannon shares the concepts at the core of his philosophies, showing how they can serve as tools of personal growth and self-actualization. Each chapter brings a lesson from Bruce Lee’s teachings, expanding on the foundation of his iconic “be water” philosophy. Over the course of the book, we discover how being like water allows us to embody fluidity and naturalness in life, bringing us closer to our essential flowing nature and our ability to be powerful, self-expressed, and free. Through previously untold stories from her father’s life and from her own journey in embodying these lessons, Shannon presents these philosophies in tangible, accessible ways. With Bruce Lee’s words as a guide, she encourages listeners to pursue their essential selves and apply these ideas and practices to their everyday lives - whether in learning new things, overcoming obstacles, or ultimately finding their true path. Be Water, My Friend is an inspirational invitation to us all, a gentle call to action to consider our lives with new eyes. It is also a testament to how one man's exploration and determination transcended time and place to ignite our imaginations - and to inspire many around the world to transform their lives. Barnes & Noble Best New Books of the Year - 2020 A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
©2020 Shannon Lee (P)2020 Macmillan Audio
Running to the Edge
Summary
"Gripping...he narrative is smooth and immediate, almost effortless in its detail, if occasionally breathless, like a good fast run..." (The New York Times Book Review) Visionary American running coach Bob Larsen assembled a mismatched team of elite California runners...the start of his decades-long quest for championships, Olympic glory, and pursuit of "the epic run." In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Starting with a ragtag group of high school cross country and track runners, Larsen set out on a decades-long quest to find the secret of running impossibly fast, for longer distances than anyone thought possible. Himself a former farm boy who fell into his track career by accident, Larsen worked through coaching high school, junior college, and college, coaxing talented runners away from more traditional sports as the running craze was in its infancy in the 60s and 70s. On the arid trails and windy roads of California, Larsen relentlessly sought the "secret sauce" of speed and endurance that would catapult American running onto the national stage. Running to the Edge is a riveting account of Larsen's journey, and his quest to discover the unorthodox training secrets that would lead American runners (elite and recreational) to breakthroughs never imagined. New York Times Deputy Sports Editor Matthew Futterman interweaves the dramatic stories of Larsen's runners with a fascinating discourse of the science behind human running, as well as a personal running narrative that follows Futterman's own checkered love-affair with the sport. The result is a narrative that will speak to every runner, a story of Larsen's triumphs - from high school cross-country meets to the founding of the cult-favorite 70's running group, the Jamul Toads, from national championships to his long tenure as head coach at UCLA, and from the secret training regimen of world champion athletes like Larsen's protégé, American Meb Keflezighi, to victories at the New York and Boston Marathons as well as the Olympics. Running to the Edge is a pause-resister...a relentless crusade to run faster, farther.
©2019 Matthew Futterman (P)2019 Random House Audio
The Last Good Year
Summary
We may never see a playoff series like it again. Before Gary Bettman, and the lockouts. Before all the NHL's old barns were torn down to make way for bigger, glitzier rinks. Before expansion and parity across the league, just about anything could happen on the ice. And it often did. It was an era when huge personalities dominated the sport; and willpower was often enough to win games. And in the spring of 1993, some of the biggest talents and biggest personalities were on a collision course. The Cinderella Maple Leafs had somehow beaten the mighty Red Wings and then, just as improbably, the St. Louis Blues. Wayne Gretzky's Kings had just torn through the Flames and the Canucks. When they faced each other in the conference final, the result would be a series that fans still talk about passionately 25 years later. Taking us back to that feverish spring, The Last Good Year gives an intimate account not just of an era-defining seven games, but of what the series meant to the men who were changed by it: Marty McSorley, the tough guy who took his whole team on his shoulders; Doug Gilmour, the emerging superstar; celebrity owner Bruce McNall; Bill Berg, who went from unknown to famous when the Leafs claimed him on waivers; Kelly Hrudey, the Kings' goalie who would go on to become a Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster; Kerry Fraser, who would become the game's most infamous referee; and two very different captains, Toronto's bull in a china shop, Wendel Clark, and the immortal Wayne Gretzky. Fast-paced, authoritative, and galvanized by the same love of the game that made the series so unforgettable, The Last Good Year is a glorious testament to a moment hockey fans will never forget.
©2018 Damien Cox (P)2018 Penguin Random House Canada
Spartan Fit!
Summary
From the best-selling author of Spartan Up!, a complete 30-day workout and diet plan to help you reach peak performance. Joe De Sena designed the Spartan races to test overall conditioning: strength, flexibility, endurance, and speed. His signature take-no-prisoners approach to achieving physical and mental fitness has taken the endurance world by storm and inspired millions. Now, in Spartan Fit!, De Sena breaks down that approach and gives listeners the tools they need to conquer the course and life, including: A 30-day workout and diet plan to prepare for the Spartan Sprint - or just to get you in shape Full-body workouts requiring no gym and no weights How to build on one race to the next Inspiring, motivating stories of Spartans A complete Spartan training guide, Spartan Fit! will arm listeners with the strength, knowledge, and grit to never question their potential again. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 Joe De Sena and Spartan Race, Inc. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Astroball
Summary
New York Times best seller The inside story of the Houston Astros, whose relentless innovation took them from the worst team in baseball to the World Series in 2017 and 2019 “Reiter’s superb narrative of how the team got there provides powerful insights into how organizations - not just baseball clubs - work best.” (The Wall Street Journal) Astroball picks up where Michael Lewis’s acclaimed Moneyball leaves off, telling the thrilling story of a championship team that pushed both the sport and business of baseball to the next level. In 2014, the Astros were the worst baseball team in half a century, but just three years later they defied critics to win a stunning World Series. In this book, Ben Reiter shows how the Astros built a system that avoided the stats-versus-scouts divide by giving the human factor a key role in their decision-making. Sitting at the nexus of sports, business, and innovation, Astroball is the story of the next wave of thinking in baseball and beyond, at once a remarkable underdog tale and a fascinating look at the cutting edge of evaluating and optimizing human potential.
©2018 Ben Reiter (P)2018 Random House Audio
We the North
Summary
National best seller "Doug Smith always gets the first question in any Raptors press conference - as the dean of our press corps, he's been in the front row for every development over the past 25 years. There's no one better placed to write a history of our team's first quarter century." (Nick Nurse, head coach, Toronto Raptors) Bringing Jurassic Park to your home, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Canada's most exciting team. When the Toronto Raptors first took the court back in 1995, the world was a very different place. Michael Jordan was tearing up the NBA. No one had email. And a lot of people wondered whether basketball could survive in Toronto, the holy city of hockey. Twenty-five years later, the Raptors are the heroes not only of the 416, but of the entire country. That is the incredible story of We the North, told by Doug Smith, the Toronto Star reporter who has been covering the team since the press conference announcing Canada's new franchise and the team's beat reporter from that day on. Comprising 25 chapters to mark the team's 25 years, We the North celebrates the biggest moments of the quarter-century - from Vince Carter's amazing display at the dunk competition to the playoff runs, the major trades, the Raptors' incredible fans, including Nav Bhatia and Drake, and, of course, the challenges that marked the route to the championship-clinching Game 6 that brought the whole country to a standstill. We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors tells the story of Canada's most exciting team, charting their rise from a sporting oddity in a hockey-mad country to the status they hold today as the reigning NBA champions and national heroes.
©2020 Doug Smith and Vince Carter (P)2020 Penguin Random House Canada
Iron Ambition
Summary
From the former heavyweight champion and New York Times best-selling memoirist comes an intimate look at the life and leadership lessons of Cus D'Amato, the legendary boxing trainer and Mike Tyson's surrogate father. When Cus D'Amato first saw 13-year-old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed, "That's the heavyweight champion of the world." D'Amato, who had previously managed the careers of world champions Floyd Patterson and José Torres, would go on to train the young Tyson and raise him as a son. D'Amato died a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. In Tyson's best-selling memoir Undisputed Truth, he recounted the role D'Amato played in his formative years, adopting him at age 16 after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after Tyson had spent years living in fear and poverty. In Iron Ambition, Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D'Amato passed down to him and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring. The book also chronicles Cus' courageous fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing, revealing more than we've ever known about this singular cultural figure.
©2017 Mike Tyson (P)2017 Penguin Audio
The Captain Class
Summary
A bold new theory of leadership drawn from elite captains throughout sports - named one of the best business books of the year by CNBC, The New York Times, Forbes, strategy+business, The Globe and Mail, and Sports Illustrated “The book taught me that there’s no cookie-cutter way to lead. Leading is not just what Hollywood tells you. It’s not the big pregame speech. It’s how you carry yourself every day, how you treat the people around you, who you are as a person.” (Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback, Chicago Bears) The sixteen most dominant teams in sports history had one thing in common: Each employed the same type of captain - a singular leader with an unconventional set of skills and tendencies. Drawing on original interviews with athletes, general managers, coaches, and team-building experts, Sam Walker identifies the seven core qualities of the Captain Class - from extreme doggedness and emotional control to tactical aggression and the courage to stand apart. Told through riveting accounts of pressure-soaked moments in sports history, The Captain Class will challenge your assumptions of what inspired leadership looks like. Praise for The Captain Class “Wildly entertaining and thought-provoking... makes you reexamine long-held beliefs about leadership and the glue that binds winning teams together.” (Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, Chicago Cubs) “If you care about leadership, talent development, or the art of competition, you need to read this immediately.” (Daniel Coyle, author of The Culture Code) “The insights in this book are tremendous.” (Bob Myers, general manager, Golden State Warriors) “An awesome book... I find myself relating a lot to its portrayal of the out-of the-norm leader.” (Carli Lloyd, co-captain, US Soccer Women’s National Team) “A great read... Sam Walker used data and a systems approach to reach some original and unconventional conclusions about the kinds of leaders that foster enduring success. Most business and leadership books lapse into clichés. This one is fresh.” (Jeff Immelt, chairman and former CEO, General Electric) “I can’t tell you how much I loved The Captain Class. It identifies something many people who’ve been around successful teams have felt but were never able to articulate. It has deeply affected my thoughts around how we build our culture.” (Derek Falvey, chief baseball officer, Minnesota Twins)
©2017 Sam Walker (P)2017 Random House Audio
Swell
Summary
Chasing a dream is never easy, but if you go far enough, it will set you free. Captain Liz Clark spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. When she was 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara, California, as captain of her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, headed south in search of surf, self, and the wonder and learning that lies beyond the unbroken horizon. In true stories overflowing with wild waves and constant challenges, at the whim of the weather, of relationships sweet and sour, of nature's marvels and colorful cultures, Liz captures her voyage in gripping detail in this memoir, sharing tales of sailing in high seas, of solitude and surprises, of finding connection to the earth and commitment to living in harmony with it. She witnesses how her dream leads her to understanding the unity of all things. More than 10 years, 20,000 miles, countless adventures, and one cat later, she's still out there.
©2018 Patagonia Works (P)2019 Random House Audio